What to See in Suzhou

A large Taoist hall perpetually obscured by a curtain of joss smoke of devotes eager to placate the gods inside. It has a large market area, many small shops with a range of goods aimed mainly at either devotees or tourists. The temple was established in the 3rd century and broadened to its present size in the Song Dynasty, where it became a popular spot for travelling magicians and acrobats.…

The Suzhou Opera Museum has performances of three traditional local arts — Kunqu opera, which is on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, Suqu opera, and Pingtan storytelling with ballads. All use the Wu language. There are stages for the opera and a teahouse in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) style for the storytelling.…

First established in the Northern Song Dynasty (1035 CE), the Confucian Temple has continually been one of the most important institutes for higher studies in the country. Much of its ground today is still occupied by Suzhou Middle School. Flanked by trees of hundreds of years of age, the main hall includes an impressive portrait of Confucius made of lacquer, and various ceremonial instruments.…

This is also called the "Yunyan Pagoda", after the Buddhist temple it was once part of; the temple was burned during the cultural revolution. Some buildings have been reconstructed and a 48-m tall brick pagoda with seven stories and eight sides remains, though now missing its wooden outer skin.…

A pair of brick Northern Song Dynasty pagodas stand sentinel over the stark remains of an Arhat Temple from the same era. Mostly intact stone pillars, gracefully carved with floral designs, at the corners of the foundation give a sense the invisible halls size and a stone etching at the rear of the garden helps you fill in the rest.…

Designed by I.M. Pei, whose family came from Suzhou. Pei lived most of his life in the US and was a very successful architect there. Perhaps his best-known work is the glass pyramid outside the Louvre in Paris. He has also designed a number of museums including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.…

A beautiful walk along an ancient road paved with hand-cut stones over a thousand years old and lined with shops maintaining traditional architectural styles. It runs from near the Humble Administrator's Garden and Suzhou Museum south into the center of town. There are a surprising number of western-style coffee shops with full English menus, Internet and English books.…

Said to have cost a boatload of silver and taken sixteen years to build. Free tours through the garden start every 5-10 minutes, though these tours are conducted only in Mandarin. Included in the tour is a "Chinese marriage", a look at carved tree roots, followed by a boat ride through the garden canals.…

This gate is renowned for its unique structure as a combined water and land gate. It was originally one gate in a city wall built in 514 BCE, but the present structure is from a 14th century rebuild. The remaining wall is 300m long and 5m high.…

Described by some as a masterpiece of urban planning. Jointly designed by the city government and a Singaporean urban planning committee, this area is characterised by wide boulevards lined with new high-rise apartments, office buildings and factories with some recreation facilities that might make it worth a visit.…

Suzhou is famous for embroidery work, with silk as the main material. The Suzhou style has a history going back 2000 years and is considered one of China's four great types of embroidery. (The others are centered in Changsha, Chaozhou and Chengdu.) The Institute functions as a museum, as a workshop for modern craftspeople, and as an outlet for their products.…

Originally created in 1140, and rebuilt in 1770 by the bureaucrat Song Zongyuan. The enclosed complex of house and garden is one of the smallest, most beautiful, and most perfectly proportioned in Suzhou. Don't let the small size deceive you, this garden has enough to occupy you for half a day or more.…

This is a relatively new museum, opened in 2003, but the building it is in dates back to the reign of Emperor Qianlong, 1735-1796. The museum's collection numbers nearly one-thousand pieces and includes modern Suzhou embroidery, sandalwood, tapestry, wood carving, stone carving, Ming-style furniture, ethnic musical ins…

Built in early 20th century by a couple. Many small garden rooms lead you from view to view. Each window or hall perfectly frames a set of plants, rocks or trees. Every inch of the garden has been carefully thought out.…

Built in the Ming Dynasty, but many parts of it were rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. Part of the garden is the Nanmu Hall with a collection of furniture made of nanmu, a wood that is fairly common in China and prized because it looks good and resists both humidity and decay.…

Has an incredible collection of pitted, eroded rocks that were greatly appreciated by classical Chinese scholars. It was originally part of a Buddhist monastery. The gardens are a reminder of the Buddhist story of the lions. The layout of the garden follows many twists and turns.…

A recently-restored canal street running from Changmen to Tiger Hill. The southeast end of the street may be mobbed with tourists, but as you walk further north the souvenir shops and restaurants disappear, and you can take a leisurely stroll along the canal through a quiet residential neighborhood.

One of the oldest of Suzhou's wonderful collection of private or "scholar's" gardens. More densely forested than other gardens, so ideal for hot days when you want to escape the sun. This garden is best viewed from within its many pavilions, with windows framing different views.

A recently constructed temple on the site of a Tang Dynasty temple. Little more than two huge 300 year-old Ginkgo trees and some stone pillar bases remain from the original complex after it was demolished and a factory built atop in 1949.

Make sure to go all the way towards the back inside the garden to see the best part. This tucked away place is a little tough to find but totally worth the effort if you want to find a quiet, unpretentious place visited mainly by locals.

This pagoda, first built in 247 CE and rebuilt during the Song Dynasty about 1000 CE, is part of the Panmen complex. It has seven storeys and is 53m (about 174 feet) high. Visitors may climb it, and the view is worthwhile.

Li Gong Di is a 1400-meter causeway across Jinji Lake, the largest inner-city lake in China; it was built during the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1874-1908). Currently some areas near it are being heavily developed.

Starting from the Northern Pagoda, this street has been sympathetically developed and retains many old-style store fronts. On the east end huge gnarled trees arch over the street.

Established in the Liang dynasty (502-557AD), most of the buildings date from the Tang Dynasty except for the recently built five-storey pagoda.

Very small garden in the heart of downtown. Good place to have a cup of green tea and usually visited by lots of local elder people.

Most of the artifacts are faded and rather plain looking, but the live silk worms are quite a sight. A great place to bring the kids

Viewable from the train station, the peak of the pagoda is Suzhou's most famous. A garden and temples are on the grounds.

Located in the township of TongLi (同里) in Wujiang district, about 30 km south of central Suzhou.

Exhibits of painting and calligraphy, especially modern Chinese art and local Suzhou artists.

Make sure to go all the way towards the back inside the garden to see the best part.

One of the largest classical gardens in Suzhou.

This gate is well preserved and still used.

Mainly a rock and water garden.